►
From YouTube: MAY 5 2022 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
A
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Yesterday
we
learned
a
woman
was
randomly
attacked
in
james
bay,
almost
directly
behind
this
legislature,
when
a
man
pushed
her
into
the
corner
of
a
building,
face
first
cutting
her
face
and
giving
her
head
injuries.
Now,
despite
denials
by
the
attorney
general
random
assaults
in
our
communities
have
increased
dramatically.
C
C
I
imagine
she
and
her
family
are
going
through
quite
a
difficult
time
and
the
broader
community
in
the
feelings
of
safety
and
security,
the
minister
for
public
safety-
and
I
take
this
issue
very
seriously.
Despite
what
the
member
suggested
in
her
question,
it's
not
correct.
You
take
it
very
seriously,
been
on
my
feet
saying
that
for
a
couple
weeks
now,
I
look
forward
to
making
an
announcement
this
afternoon
with
the
minister
for
public
safety
and
mayors
of
our
province
about
how
we're
going
to
wrap
our
hands
around
this
issue
and
address
it.
A
You,
mr
speaker,
nobody
has
confidence
in
this
attorney
in
whatever
he
will
announce.
Given
his
terrible
track
record
for
five
years
and
his
past
statements
in
2011,
he
said
quote:
we
have
serious
concerns
with
the
results
of
the
prolific
offender
program
and
are
continuing
to
events.
Investigate
aggressive
policing
tactics.
End
quote
so.
Will
the
attorney
general
end
his
catch
and
release
system
and
take
action
to
protect
british
columbians,
so
they
can
feel
safe
in
their
communities.
C
C
We
need
mental
health
and
addiction
supports
and
for
some
people
those
need
to
be
compulsory
because
they
will
not
take
up
the
voluntary
supports
we
offer
and
so
police
have
been
we've
been
meeting
with
them.
We've
been
going
over
these
issues
with
in
relation
to
random
stranger
attacks,
as
well
as
prolific
property
crime.
C
The
member
says
your
question
that
she
doesn't
appreciate
my
track
record
on
these
issues.
I'll
point
out
two
similar
issues
that
came
to
my
attention.
One
was
the
financial
crisis
at
icbc.
We
now
have
the
best
insurance
rates
and
the
best
benefits
in
canada.
Following
my
work,
carried
on
by
the
minister
of
public
safety,
the
second
we
had
widespread
and
rampant
money
laundering
in
our
casinos
took
on
that
issue.
We
no
longer
have
that
problem.
C
D
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well,
this
government's
empty
rhetoric
and
lack
of
results
is
failing.
British
columbians
on
a
wide
range
of
issues,
whether
it's
the
catch
and
release
system
of
this
attorney
general
and
spiking
crime
rates,
the
crumbling
of
our
health
care
system
in
front
of
our
very
eyes,
or
the
lack
of
any
measures
around
affordability.
D
This
government
is
failing
by
every
measure.
Gas
prices
are
expected
to
hit
an
all-time
high
of
dollars
and
seventeen
cents
per
liter
tomorrow.
This
means
it's
going
to
cost
some
families
upwards
of
two
hundred
dollars
just
to
fill
up
their
family
vehicle.
It's
been
215
weeks
since
the
premier
first
promised
action
if
gas
prices
stayed
high,
but
today
life
is
more
unaffordable
with
sky-high
gas
prices
and
soaring
inflation
and
no
help
in
sight.
How
much
longer
will
families
have
to
wait
for
a
real
long-term
solution
and
relief
on
gas
prices
from
this
government.
E
We
do
not
control
world
the
world
price
of
oil,
so
we
have,
but,
but
here
within
british
columbia,
we
do
have
a
jurisdiction,
that's
exercised
through
the
bc
utilities.
Commission,
that's
why
we
created
the
fuel
price.
Transparency
act,
the
empowered,
the
energy
watchdog
to
investigate
fuel
prices
here.
E
In
addition,
thanks
to
the
work
of
the
attorney
general,
while
he
was
responsible
for
icbc,
we
are
now
going
to
be
able
to
rebate
two
drivers:
the
sum
of
110
dollars
per
person
that
that
is
beginning
this
week
through
the
process
of
rebates
by
either
mail
by
credit
card
or
by
check,
so
so
that
there
is
some
relief
on
its
way.
D
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
sadly,
that
this
minister
and
her
cabinet
has
got
their
retroactive
pay
likely,
in
their
bank
accounts
long
before
people's
going
to
see
any
relief
from
this
government
when
it
comes
to
gas
prices.
The
war
in
ukraine
is
impacting
everybody
yet
in
washington.
State
right
across
the
border.
Gas
is
a
dollar
fifty
a
liter.
Today,
canadian
in
alberta,
it's
40
to
50
to
60
cents,
a
liter,
depending
on
the
day
cheaper
than
in
british
columbia.
D
We
have
the
highest
gas
prices
with
the
highest
gas
taxes
in
north
america,
despite
five
years
of
empty
ndp
rhetoric
bc
continues
to
have
that.
Two
weeks
ago
the
premier
said
he
directed
the
finance
minister
to,
and
I
quote,
bring
forward
initiatives
to
assist
with
inflation,
we'll
see
how
that
goes
so
215
weeks
ago,
the
premier
said
he
had
a
plan
for
high
gas
prices.
Two
weeks
ago,
he
said
he
was
still
working
on
inflation.
E
Minister,
mr
speaker,
I
want
to
congratulate
kevin
falcon
on
his
victory
in
the
by-election.
E
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Today
is
the
national
day
of
awareness
for
missing
and
murdered
indigenous
women
and
girls,
also
known
as
red
dress
day,
and
earlier
this
week,
this
assembly
is
celebrated.
A
new
anti-racism
data
collection
initiative,
a
new
bill.
Yesterday
afternoon,
I
celebrated
that
initiative,
and
I
wish
that
this
bc
ndp
government's
commitment
extended,
mr
speaker,
to
environmental
racism
in
northern
bc,
spurred
on
by
this
government's
record-setting
investment
and
subsidization
of
the
liquefied
gas
industry.
F
We're
learning
about
the
tragic
and
deadly
consequences
of
fracking
we're
learning
more
and
more
about
it.
Every
day,
emissions
of
chemicals
that
cause
and
exacerbate
birth
defects,
rare
cancers
and
asthma.
These
are
disproportionately
impacting
indigenous
communities.
Mr
speaker,
one
study
from
the
u.s
found
that
children
born
near
fracking
sites
were
25
more
likely
to
be
born
at
low
birth
weights
or
less
than
5.5
pounds.
F
They
found
an
increased
risk
of
childhood
mortality
and
poorer
educational
outcomes.
A
lead
author
from
the
nobel
peace
prize,
winning
group
called
physicians
for
social
responsibility,
called
fracking
quote
the
worst
thing
I've
ever
seen
through
you,
honorable
speaker
to
the
premier.
Does
he
care
that
his
government
is
actively
engaged
in
environmental
racism
against
indigenous
communities,
particularly
indigenous
children
and
pregnant
people?.
G
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker,
and
thank
you
to
my
colleague
from
senate's
north
and
the
islands
for
the
question
in
the
northeast
of
british
columbia,
where
the
fracking
activity
to
which
he
refers
primarily
occurs.
We
are
engaged
in
addressing
a
decision,
an
historic
decision
of
the
bc
supreme
court,
namely
the
yahei
decision.
G
We
are
doing
so
with
all
the
treaty.
Eight
nations
who
the
judge
concluded
had
had
their
treaty
rights,
their
treaty
aid
rights
violated
through
oil
and
gas
activity.
We
are
engaged
in
a
series
of
initiatives
to
heal
the
land
and
to
do
some
of
the
things
that
the
members
suggest
need
to
be
done.
We
are
doing
that
in
close
collaboration
and
negotiation,
not
with
the
victor
in
that
litigation,
namely
the
blueberry
river
first
nation,
but
all
the
other
treaty,
eight
nations.
F
Speaker,
there's
nothing
ethical
about
lng
development,
neither
the
government
nor
the
official
opposition
grasp
that,
mr
speaker,
not
only
is
lng,
canada,
the
single
largest
point
source
of
emissions
in
this
province,
going
to
be
undermining
any
efforts
that
this
government
is
making
to
combat
the
climate
crisis.
It's
disproportionately
impacting
indigenous
people.
F
Indigenous
participants,
homes
showed,
notably
higher
concentration
of
chloroform
acetone
and
death
canal.
There
were
higher
levels
of
trihalomethane
in
their
tap
water.
Mr
speaker,
my
question
again
is
to
the
premier:
how
does
the
premier
reconcile
his
commitments
to
indigenous
people
while
ramping
up
this
fracked
gas
development?
That
is
clearly
putting
the
lives
of
indigenous
children
and
pregnant
people
at
risk.
G
Speaker,
I
think
it
is
true
that
there
has
been
a
disproportionate
impact
on
indigenous
peoples
in
the
northeast,
and
that,
of
course,
was
the
conclusion
of
madam
justice
burke
in
the
yahei
decision
to
which
I
previously
referred,
and
that
is
why,
because
of
that
treaty
being
violated
over
a
hundred
years
or
more,
we
are
rolling
up
our
sleeves
and
doing
what
the
court
asked
that
we
do,
and
in
doing
so,
we
will
address
the
impacts
that
the
member
refers
to.
These
impacts
are
real.
G
We
are
not
shying
away
from
that,
and
indeed
we're
taking
the
kind
of
steps
in
partnership
with
industry,
in
partnership
with
with
local
government,
to
make
sure
that
we
have
a
viable
northeast
economy,
but
that
we,
the
balance,
is
restruck
in
a
way
that
works
for
everyone.
Those
of
us
who
benefit
from
that
activity
in
the
south,
but
particularly
to
address
the
impacts
on
those
who
suffer
in
the
northeast
from
those
from
those
consequences.
G
H
Dr
dan
brasick
says,
and
I
quote:
there's
a
constant
push
to
cancel
or
delay
surgeries
without
consideration
of
patient
care
or
needs.
Patient
care
has
been
continuously
eroded
to
the
point
where
I
can
no
longer
participate
in
good
conscience.
End
quote,
mr
speaker.
This
morning
I've
been
told
that
there's
at
least
one
more
doctor
who
will
be
resigning.
Will
the
minister
of
health
act
now
to
stop
the
crisis
at
more
at
caribou
memorial
hospital?
H
I
Helt,
thank
you
very
much,
honorable
speaker
with
respect
to
surgeries
in
british
columbia.
The
member
will
know
that
I
gave
a
comprehensive
report
yesterday
on
surgery
in
the
province
he
will
know-
and
this
has
been
disruptive
everywhere
in
the
province.
The
cobia
19
pandemic
led
to
the
cancellations
of
surgeries
in
interior
health
in
march
of
2020
and
again
significantly
in
2021.
I
We
are
always
concerned
when
doctors
express
concern
about
this
about
issues
in
the
system,
our
commitment
to
caribou
memorial
hospital
and
the
standard
of
care.
There
could
not
be
higher.
That's
why
we
engaged
in
2018
in
a
major
capital
rebuild
of
the
hospital
ensuring
our
long-term
commitment
to
the
people
of
williams,
lake
and
region,
and
why
we'll
continue
to
work
with
health
care
professionals
everywhere
to
ensure
the
quality
of
the
system,
even
in
these
very
challenging
times,.
H
H
They
are
gravely
concerned
about
a
declining
patient
care
but
they're
afraid
to
speak
out,
and
I
quote
due
to
fears
of
vengeful
behavior
retaliation
persecution
for
coming
forward.
End
quote
just
this
morning:
three
more
staff
have
reached
out
to
me
and
contacted
me
with
respect
to
concerns
for
patient
care.
That
is
diminishing.
I
I
In
fact,
the
document
in
question
honorable
speaker,
dates
to
march
2004
march
2004.
I
now
I
know
that
members
are
honorable
and
that
would
have
been
an
unintentional
misleading
of
the
situation,
but
it's
a
serious
situation.
It's
been
a
code
of
contact,
that's
been
in
place
since
2004.,
there's
whistleblower
policies
in
the
interior,
health
authority
and
everyone
else
to
protect
people
from
from
to
ensure
fair
access
to
the
public
to
information.
This
house
passed
in
2019
the
public
interest
disclosure
act
that
applies
to
public
servant.
I
It
will
apply
and
take
over
from
those
policies
in
the
coming
year,
normal
speaker,
the
importance
of
whistleblower
protection
is
fundamental.
It's
something
that
has
been
supported
by
all
members
in
this
house,
no
speaker
so
when
they
were,
they
cite
evidence
from
2004
and
they,
when
they
cite
evidence
from
2004,
suggesting
that
when
they
when
they
ought
to
know
where
those
documents
came
from
ministers
of
health.
I
In
2004
with
the
honourable
colin
hanson,
the
leader
of
the
opposition,
normal
speaker,
when
they
use
that
as
evidence
that
is
simply
misleading
and
not
appropriate
to
the
debate,
our
health
work
care
workers
have
been
through
everything
in
the
last
two
years.
They
deserve
a
serious
debate.
They
deserve
our
support.
They
have
it
on
this
side.
They
have
it,
I
think,
all
over
the
house,
and
that
should
be
demonstrated
every
single
day.
J
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well
with
all
due
respect
to
the
minister
of
health,
it's
2022
and
our
health
care
system
hospital
after
hospital
after
hospital
is
in
near
collapse
due
to
the
challenges
that
are
taking
place
within
within
those
hospitals,
and
the
members
of
the
opposition
are
simply
bringing
forward
the
stories.
J
The
testaments
of
frontline
healthcare
workers,
who
are
demanding
action,
they're
demanding
this
that
this
minister
actually
step
up
and
take
action
to
improve
the
dire
situation
in
our
hospitals,
and
I
will
highlight
another
hospital.
The
one
in
kamloops
royal
inlet,
where
the
situation
is
dire
and
nurses
are
speaking
out
in
record
numbers,
despite
the
the
concerns
that
they
have
about
potentially
being
dismissed
or
having
other
other
types
of
of
actions
taken
against
them.
J
One
nurse
had
this
to
say
the
other
day,
and
I
quote
what
little
staff
we
have
is
redeployed
throughout
the
building
and
medical
units,
which
should
have
eight
nurses
very
often
have
shifts
where
no
nurses
are
booked
to
work.
End
quote
and
mr
speaker,
this
is
against
the
backdrop
of
reports
that
the
nursing
compliment
right
now
at
royal
inline.
Hospitals
on
most
days
is
often
at
50
percent.
Of
what
a
normal
compliment
would
be.
That
is
unacceptable.
I
Minister
of
health,
well,
the
member
may
think
asserting
that
a
policies
in
place
in
2004
was
put
in
place,
but
this
government
is
just
par
for
the
course
in
his
conduct
conduct
of
of
his
role
as
an
mla.
But
I
I
don't
agree
with
it.
The
policy
is
the
same:
there's
whistleblower
protection
and
policies
in
place
in
the
interior,
health
authority
and
everywhere
else
they
continue
to
be
in
place.
I
In
addition,
this
house,
in
the
wake
frankly
of
the
health
firings
matter,
which
I
will
not
go
into
here,
put
in
place
public
interest
disclosure
legislation
and
unanimously
passed
it
in
2019,
which
will
also
be
in
place
in
health
authorities.
Honorable
speaker,
the
members
refer,
and
the
members
referred
and
member
for
williams,
lake
caribou
south
referred
to
referred
to
the
refer
to
the
record
around
surgeries.
I
Well,
we've
added
net
new
299
net,
new
nurses,
surgical
nurses,
since
we
put
in
place
the
surgical
renewal
plan
in
march
in
may
of
2020.,
that's
action,
the
84
measures
to
expand
services.
That's
action
the
best
year
in
the
history
of
british
columbia
in
terms
of
surgeries
in
one
of
the
most
complicated
and
difficult
health
years.
That's
action
the
fact
that
more
than
200
nurses
been
hired
at
rome
in
that
hospital
since
january
of
2021
is
action.
The
fact
that
we
have
a
dedicated
staff
of
recruitment
at
that
hospital
is
action.
I
Look
I
have
visited
well
in
that
hospital.
I
have
met
with
nurses,
they
have
gone
through
the
ringer
and
more
over
the
last
two
years.
I
respect
the
work
they
do.
They've
communicated
directly
to
me,
and
I've
listened
directly
to
them
their
concerns
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
take
action
to
support
them
because
they
deserve
it.
J
Mr
speaker,
what
nurses
are
saying
at
royal
inland,
what
they're
saying
at
caribou
memorial?
What
they're
saying
at
hospitals
all
across
this
province
is
that
these
hospitals
are
on
the
verge
of
collapse?
That's
what's
happening
today,
the
the
the
reality
is.
J
This
is
what
bc
nurses
union
president
ahman
greywall
confirms
has
confirmed
and
and
with
respect
to
this
discipline-
and
I
quote
all
that
they're
doing
is
advocating
on
behalf
of
their
patients,
letting
the
public
know
the
reality
of
what
public
health
care
is
like
right
now
end
quote
so
again,
will
the
minister
drop
the
gag
order?
Will
he
act
to
end
the
health
care
crisis
at
royal
inland
hospital?
So
that
patients
and
and
and
and
health
care
workers
can
can
can
go
in
and
know
that
safety
is
not
being
compromised.
B
I
Feld
well,
thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
the
member
has
done
it
again
and
really
I
I
think
you
know
I'll
allow
I
won't
characterize
what
he's
doing,
but
when
he
refers
to
an
ndp
gag
order
and-
and
they
quoted
from
a
document
from
march
2005-
a
policy,
a
code
of
conduct
that
has
been
placed
since
that
time
in
health
authorities
that
have
whistleblower
protection
for
a
government
but
brought
in
the
public
interest.
I
Disclosure
act,
protect
whistleblowers,
and
then
we
protect
them
everywhere
from
a
minister
of
health
who
did
raise
issues
around
health
employees
in
the
ministry
of
health
for
years
yes
and
brought
in
changes
to
ensure
things
were
better.
You
bet,
honorable
speaker
and
as
well.
There
are
significant
issues
facing
health
care
professionals
and
health
care
workers
everywhere,
and
I
expect
to
hear
from
them
on
their
issues.
I
They
actually
have
a
duty
to
report
issues
and
they
do
honourable
speaker-
and
I
I
would
say,
honourable
speaker,
that
the
efforts
and
the
work
done
by
everyone
to
support
health
care
workers
in
primary
care
in
long-term
care
in
acute
care
to
ensure
our
long-term
care
homes.
88
percent
of
them
are
not
below
standard
in
terms
of
staffing,
which
was
a
situation
that
existed
when
I
became
minister
of
health
changes
is
my
responsibility
and
you
bet
I'll
exercise.
It.
K
K
They
are
being
forced
to
rely
on
emergency
rooms
and
walk-in
clinics.
Wait
times
are
the
worst
in
canada
in
those
clinics,
and
on
top
of
that
we
have
health
care
workers
that
are
frustrated.
They
are
angry
and
they
are
burned
out
and
what
does
the
minister
say
he
gets
up
and
regularly
all
is
well
and
points
british
columbians
to
an
urgent
and
primary
care
center.
K
Well,
you
can
imagine
our
shock
when
we
received
a
leaked
internal
document,
urgent
and
primary
care
center
dashboard
and
that
dashboard
laid
out
just
how
ineffective
those
clinics
are
in
urgent
and
primary
care
centers
across
the
province.
According
to
the
leaked
document,
the
average
number
of
patients
per
practitioner
per
day
is
4.6.
K
I
I
british
columbia
has
been
in
a
public
health
emergency
with
respect
to
covet
19
since
march
of
2020,
you
bet
I've
been
reporting
every
day
virtually
every
day
on
the
challenges
facing
that
system
which
are
exceptional.
We
talk
about
primary
care,
happy
to
talk
about
primary
care.
In
the
year
2018-19.
I
I
But
what
happened,
of
course
in
the
meantime,
was
the
most
radical.
The
most
revolutionary
set
of
changes
to
the
system
that
had
ever
taken
place
because
of
those
visits
in
2018-19,
97
of
them
were
in-person
visits
and
when
the
kova
19
pandemic
was
was
was
proclaimed,
substantive
and
fundamental
changes
were
required
to
make
to
deal
with
that,
so
a
very
significant
number
of
those
visits.
In
fact,
we
went
from
about
600
000
virtual
visits
in
in
the
first
year
in
in
the
previous
year
in
the
pre-pandemic
year
to
13
million.
I
That's
what
occurred
now
in
the
2021-22
fiscal
year
that
went
from
7
to
5
million.
I
want
to
assure
the
opposition
I'm
going
to
sit
down,
so
the
member
will
have
her
supplementary
that
mo
that
number
moved.
The
in-person
visit
moved
back
from
five
to
seven
million
will
be
moving
back
this
year.
This
is
the
most
fundamental
change
the
system
has
ever
seen,
and
our
primary
care
teams
did
an
exceptional
job
of
dealing
with
it.
K
Well
again,
you
know
the
minister
can
can
stand
up
and
let's
talk
about
the
here
and
now,
let's
talk
about
british
columbians
who
are
desperate
for
a
family
doctor
in
this
province.
Let's
talk
about
health
care
workers
who
are
afraid
to
speak
up
and
talk
about
the
situation
in
their
particular
hospitals.
And
let's
talk
about
the
dashboard,
let
me
read
to
the
minister
exactly
what
the
dashboard
says
and
for
his
his
benefit.
I
want
to
be
clear.
K
That
is
a
shocking
number,
and
the
minister
knows
that,
what's
even
worse
is
british
colombians
are
telling
him
and
this
government
on
a
daily
basis
that
the
system
isn't
working.
They
can't
get
in.
It's,
no
wonder
that
the
esquimalt
and
north
quadra
urgent
and
primary
care
centers,
were
both
at
capacity
by
8
30.
This
morning,
family
doctors
see
up
to
40
patients
a
day,
but
the
data
in
the
leak
dashboard
shows
three
patients
per
day
in
fraser
health
3.1
at
the
surrey
newton
clinic
and
0.9
patients
per
day
at
the
abbotsford
clinic.
K
It
is
absolutely
no
wonder
that
we
have
a
crisis
in
confidence
in
the
health
care
system
in
british
columbia,
that
is
on
this
minister
and
this
government's
watch.
Will
he
stand
up
today
and
acknowledge
the
challenges
that
health
care
workers
and
patients
and
british
columbians
are
facing
admit
that
it
is
a
crisis
and
do
something
about
it?.
I
Honorable
speaker,
I
would
say
that
this
is
something
I
think
I
said
it.
My
first
answer
that
I've
said
every
day
we're
in
two
public
health
emergencies
and
they
have
a
significant
impact
on
every
healthcare
system
worker
in
our
system.
On
the
issue
of
primary
care.
As
the
member
knows,
because
I
just
told
her
this,
the
data
is
is
readily
available.
We
went
from
about
17.9
million
inpatient
visits
in
2018-19
to
between
five
and
5.5
million
visits
in
20
20
21
as
a
result
of
the
pandemic.
I
That
meant
that
a
lot
of
people
a
lot
of
people,
the
majority
of
people
who
would
typically
visit
family
practice,
doctors
did
so
virtually
in
what
I
think
was
an
extraordinary
and
a
change
that
happened.
In
a
matter
of
a
couple
of
weeks.
Honorable
speaker,
building
codes
were
put
in
place
to
protect
the
family
practice
system
and
ensure
people
continue
to
have
access
to
care
through
virtual
care.
I
In
addition,
honorable
speaker,
the
27
urgent
and
primary
care
centers
the
53
primary
care
networks,
the
new
community
health
centers,
the
primary
care
networks
have
27
new
funded
employees
in
prince
george,
the
prince
of
georgia.
One
alone,
honorable
speaker,
are
doing
their
work
to
contribute
to
to
the
implementation
of
team-based
care
a
necessary
prerequisite.
In
addition,
we're
taking
steps
to
give
particularly
doctors,
other
options
and
dramatically
expanding
doubling
the
number
of
nurse
practitioners.